port phillip estate

here is nothing better than a beautiful glass of wine, unless it is a beautiful glass of wine with a great view! trading plates headed down to the mornington peninsula to check out port phillipestate, one of the newest and most spectacular wineries in the area.

undecided. we dined recently at port phillipestateand came away with a slightly mixed view. the place itself is excellent, lovely architecture and superb views with a lovely warmth to the whole environment. the staff were fine and the wine list good, the wines we chose (by the glass) couldn't be faulted especially the chardonnay., farrago i think it was. the issue was with the food, which wasn't bad, but by the same token, wasn't remarkable either. i think the best dish was the chocolate self saucing pudding which was beautiful and the other desserts were of a similar quality. the mains, a fish, a pheasant and a rabbit were ok but not startling, the scallop entree was fine as was the salad entree but the tuna carpaccio was bland, a surprise given the ingredients. all in all, the meal was good, but was it worth $400? that's the question and i think the answer is no.

last weekend, i returned to port phillipestatewith my husband in tow and had, “the best $35 lunch i’ve ever had,” according to jude. i have to agree, it was fine dining on a budget. as part of the $35 deal, we both got to choose a starter, entrée and main from their regular cellar door lunch menu. jude opting for an oyster with shallot vinaigrette, beef brisket, and a meat medley casserole; while i went for the parmesan grissini with olive tapenade, squid, and pappardelle with mushrooms. all six dishes were faultless. even the complimentary bread and olive oil, presented in a brown canvas bag, was photo-worthy.

this is a review from early march that i forgot to post prior to corona lockdown. port phillipestateis a spectacular nuclear bunker overlooking rolling hills. my risotto milanese was spectacular and unfortunately being a starter, was way too small! we found the starters to all be better than the mains. mains were fish, duck and a pork (?) dish and none were very exciting or spectacular. service was a little average too. for a venue that’s pushing itself as fine dining and charging like it’s fine dining, staff could do with some training. overall a nice day out, but not a winner.

we visited port phillipestatefor lunch today and the views were just spectacular although sadly our prior window table request saw us seated in the obstructed view section on stools. we elected to move and the atmosphere was pleasant nonetheless. staff were friendly and we enjoyed their ‘cheeky lunch’ which at $38 i thought was very reasonable. of course to this we added a side, desserts and wine but well worth it.

you do get to select out of three options for the three courses. the first was the ‘bite’ and i chose a delicious arancini. this preceded the complimentary bread which was really yummy. for my ‘small’ i opted for the flash flied calamari and then the ‘big’ was the sirloin with bernaise. the fries with aoili that we added as a side technically weren’t fries but a chunkier style chip. very tasty regardless.

the sirloin was slightly disappointing in that it was overcooked for my liking. we then had both the desserts on offer, lemon tart and chocolate brownie. a simple sweet way to end the meal.

there is a more prestigious restaurant across the other side of the venue with equivalent views but a more elaborate menu. for the casual nature of our lunch the cellar door was more than agreeable but if you have a special occasion the other is probably more suitable as there is a slight distraction/interruption from those doing tastings, particularly if you are seated closer to the bar.

theestateand setting is spectacular. the service was friendly and efficient. we were a large group and were well looked after. the meals were extremely nice. well worth it.

very impressive location and building. beautiful views over the vineyard and westernport bay. ppe have a large range of wines but only 6 were available for tasting. the tasting service was a bit casual - we did not feel very special and obtained more info from the tasting notes than the server. we are lovers of red wines and were not impressed by the reds we tasted under either the port philipestateor kooyongestatelabels. we liked the quartier chardonnay and the port philipestatesalasso rose. the latter surprised me as i am not a fan of rose but this was very crisp and refreshing. we had lunch in the dining room and ordered a bottle of the salasso rose with our meal. we had a window table with a view - the whole setting is very pleasant. service was very good -the staff were friendly and attentive and offered explanations re the food and wine. it offset the poorer service we received in the tasting room. the menu is restricted but offers some interesting choices. for entrees we chose pork jowl and agnolotto moreton bay bug. both were well presented and very tasty. for mains we chose the venison and roasted hapuka. the latter fish was excellent. the venison was good but uninteresting. the bread was freshly baked in the restaurant's own kitchen and was excellent.

celebrated a quiet birthday at port phillipestatewith a three course lunch. i must say we loved it! the food was simply amazing, almost too good to eat. the service was brilliant also and the food came out in just the right amount of time. we'll definitely return for another delicious experience. yum!

visited port phillipestateon sunday at lunch. absolutely amazing view and great service. food was all beautifully presented and tasted amazing. was a real talking point among the family. highly recommended!

visited port phillipestatefor saturday lunch. the building is stunning, from outside and within, it was worth the visit just to see it!
we sat in the cellar door rather than the dining room and as such, had the 3 course set menu for $38. everything was great from start to finish - attentive service, beautiful setting and delicious food and wine. highlights were the cuban sandwich and the polenta chips. lowlight was the ravioli, although it wasn't bad, just not at the same level as the other dishes.
the kooyong haven pinot noir was the pick of the wines we tried.

the port phillipestateis absolutely stunning. it reminded me of something out of a james bond film. we ate lunch in the bistro today and the dishes from the lunch menu were very well priced and extremely delicious. i hope to come back here again for the restaurant another time!

port phillipestateis a magnificent location, it's hard not to be taken in by the views across the vineyard and out to the sea. luckily though, the wonderful food and wine on offer is able to well and truly match the stunning views. the wines of port phillipestateand kooyong are well recognised as leading producers of pinot noir.

the first time i walked into port phillipestatei was stunned with the modern architecture. it stood out from the rest of the more rustic, traditional, red hill wineries at the time. while it created a trend in the area, it is still unique in its scale. that day was not the day for fine dining but inspired me to one day return and enjoy the incredible view over lunch. years have passed, but several positive reviews illustrated the dining room had settled into a high performance groove. i was eager to say the least to have a try for myself.

sadly disappointed!. we spent one night at port philipestatestaying for lunch, dinner (cheese platter in room) and breakfast to celebrate a very special occasion. the lunch was enjoyable overall but some service inexperienced and confusing.

the room was comfortable but not worth the high tariff. the cheese platter we were sent for dinner as part of the package , however, was simply appalling. the biscuits so stale they couldn't hold the weight of the meager cheese provided. the grapes minuscule! that was it! unfortunately there is no one to complain to as we were advised that no staff are available after 6pm! breakfast in room was a vast improvement,
at approx $1000 per night we can not recommend this establishment .
we would have preferred to discuss this at the venue but it seemed to both of us that no body really cared what we thought - hence the review.

disgusting service, overpriced, food crap as well. so many reasons not to go here. 1. we were large group and restuarant practically empty (dec. 2014) so no excuse for the following. 2. we had to ask for menus after 45 minutes, staff concentrating on plying us with drinks. 3. entree arrived at 9.15pm -some of us had salmon and laughed when we received it; it was a tiny see-through slice - pathetic. 4. mains served at 10pm steak was cold!! everyone was so hungry they ate their steaks, i sent mine back and got a piece of rubber back that had been put in the microwave,side salad was plain lettuce. by that time we had lost our appetites.
worst thing - this 3 course meal cost us as a couple over $200 due to the drinks bill! and a red baloon voucher was used!!!!!!!!
disgusting. want a great meal at red hill? go to montaltoestate- food is fantastic and good value, service great. :)